Two
by animalcrwossing
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng has always been second choice. Maybe she should look somewhere else to direct her affections - or maybe it's been in the same place all along.
1. Double Whammy

Second Place. Number Two. Deux. So damn close to getting what Marinette Dupain-Cheng wants yet so far away.

Adrien Agreste is completely unattainable at this rate. He doesn't get any of her hints, and he's always talking about _Ladybug. _If Marinette didn't have to keep that a secret, she would have revealed it by now. She's just so tired of trying anymore.

Patrolling the city eases her mind a little, and seeing Chat Noir cheers her up. He never fails to make her smile, even if he can be a little annoying.

Maybe… maybe she could… _no. _

It would be pure idiocy to try and go after Chat. Sure, he's absolutely in love with her, but trying to date as superheroes? Unable to know civilian identities? Only getting fleeting moments between protecting their home from Papillion? It's utterly ridiculous, _yet… _

"M'lady? Is there something on your mind?" Chat prods, waving a hand in front of her face. They're taking a short break from hopping from building to building, sitting on top of what looks like a department store. "I know I'm devilishly good looking, but I never thought it would distract you that much!"

Ladybug sighs. The Marinette inside of her sighs, too. "Chat, I'm… conflicted." She pauses to take in a sharp breath, eyes darting to quick movement. It's only a pigeon. "The… the guy I like, well, he likes someone else. And I'm tired of putting my heart out there only for it to be crushed to bits. And… I think I might be willing to accept your affections. I know, it's stupid and selfish, but I don't think I can survive one more day of him completely disregarding my obvious feelings!"

Chat shakes his head. "No, no, no, Ladybug, I don't want you to be with me just because you're desperate. I… I want you to love me, too." He turns away, and his voice is barely audible. "I don't want you to _pity_ date me."

_Did it really sound like that?_

"I _do _love you, Chat. I just. I need something. It gets so lonely." Ladybug rubs at her eyes. A lump in her throat forms and she just wants to tear her vocal chords from the column of her throat so she stops saying stupid shit. "Please."

Chat looks conflicted. He rests his hand on hers, eyes downcast. "No, no you don't." He stands, bounding away into the distance from rooftop to rooftop.

Marinette goes home to cry into her pillow, skip dinner, and ignore all of her texts.

Adrien goes to school the next day to find Marinette not there. He's worried - of course he is. One of his best friends isn't at school after a night of not replying to any of his texts. He glances at said messages, hoping for something new.

**[5:47 PM] noirwannabe: **Hey!

**[6:30 PM] noirwannabe: **Marinette?

**[7:02 PM] noirwannabe: **Are you okay? Alya is worried.

**[9:50 PM] noirwannabe: **I'm sorry if I did something to upset you. Can you please just let one of us know if you're okay?

**[1:33 AM] noirwannabe: **I'm sorry.

**[7:45 AM] noirwannabe: **Hey Mari! Coming to school today?

**[8:27 AM] noirwannabe: **Alright, hope you feel better soon.

_Seen _

Great. So she's absolutely ignoring him. He rests his head in his hands, still staring at the texts. What could he be doing wrong? All he wanted was to be a good friend to Marinette and this is how it went. Even Alya is confused as to why Marinette isn't replying to anyone. She's always on her phone if she isn't busy doing a sketch.

Adrien jumps when Nino pats him on the back, scrambling to turn off his phone. Now he not only seems like a shitty friend, but a lunatic, too.

"Hey man, I know you're worried, but Ms. Bustier is gonna be pissed if she sees you on your phone," Nino whispers, passing the notes over to him. "I wrote down the notes for you."

"Th… Thanks, Nino," Adriens whispers back, starting to copy the notes mindlessly. He's not taking in any of the information, but honestly? _He doesn't even care. _Fuck his dad's high expectations. He can have one day to slack.

**[9:57] noirwannabe: **I'm coming over after school.


	2. Two Timing

Marinette genuinely has no idea what to do. All she wants is to be alone and think about her options. Logically, she knows nothing has changed. She hasn't confessed to Adrien and her bringing up romance to Chat won't affect their ability to fight - he's always been able to fight despite his feelings for her. It doesn't feel like she can approach either of them, though. She somehow feels as if she has betrayed Adrien even though they aren't even together, and that she's betrayed Chat even more. Did she _really_ have to impulsively ask that?

She rubs her eyes, and Tikki flies to her side as she sits.

"Marinette, it's going to be okay! We all make mistakes!" Tikki reminds her, nuzzling against her cheek. "Even I have made mistakes! Like trusting Plagg not to kill the dinosaurs."

Marinette can't help but giggle a little at that, sighing afterwards. "I know, you're right. But I can't help but feel like a terrible person."

Deciding a shower is necessary, Marinette ends the conversation there. Even though she feels shitty, she can't let herself look terrible. Afterwards, she takes the time to brush her hair and change into a comfortable dress. It's better than wearing her pajamas. She still feels gross, though, like she can't scrub the shame off of her skin.

There's commotion downstairs, and suddenly, there's a knock on her trapdoor. That must be Adrien. "Come in," she says, just loud enough for him to hear. Her guess is right, and it looks like he came directly from school. He's still carrying his bag full of books.

"Marinette," Adrien whispers, eyebrows furrowing. It must be obvious of how bad she feels, if the bags under her eyes are any explanation. She's struggled to stay calm enough not to encounter an akuma.

Marinette frowns, looking away from him. She can't muster the energy to look at him. "Hi."

Adrien moves to sit next to Marinette on the edge of her bed. "What's wrong?"

Marinette just laughs at that, toying with the hem of her dress. "I can't really tell you. Not specifics, anyway."

"Why not?" Adrien prods, leaning closer. She can smell his cologne. It doesn't make her feel relieved like it normally does.

"It wouldn't be fair. I promised to keep a secret about some of the stuff." Well, that's a lie. Sort of. "But, uh. I've realized that the guy I like doesn't like me back, and it's never going to happen. So I asked this guy out who has had a crush on me for a long time, and he denied me because he knows I don't really want to date him and now I feel like a terrible person!"

Adrien sighs just loud enough for Marinette to hear. She still can't bring herself to glance at him. "I think it's fair for you to want to explore other options," he says after a bout of silence. "Sometimes I… feel like giving up on my crush, too."

Marinette finally looks at him, and she can see how he relates. Maybe she's not so bad after all. "Would it be wrong for me to? I mean, it's never going to happen."

"I don't think so. I mean, it's not like you guys are dating or anything." That's true.

It's silent again. That is, until their eyes meet.

"Can I tell you the truth?"

"Always, Marinette."

"It's… you. It's always been you. I've had a crush on you for so long, and I know you love someone else. And it hurts so bad. B-but it's okay! Because I'm going to take your advice. So don't even worry about it," Marinette blabbers, sniffling towards the end. "Don't even think about worrying."

Adrien looks shocked, eyebrows raised up high. "I-"

"Please. Don't respond to that."

Adrien can't handle this knowledge. Everything seemed to make sense now - the strange way Marinette would act at the beginning of their friendship, her awkward comments, the weird confessions. It all pieced together in his brain, and he regrets even leaving her house. Was it so obvious to everyone else all along? Was he really that oblivious? He sighs.

Plagg sits himself on top of Adrien's head, rolling his eyes. "You've gotta stop overthinking everything! Just tell her you like her or you don't," he chastises, making grabby hands at the other. It's a silent request for cheese. "I mean, if she's stuck around this long, she's gotta think of you as important in her life."

"That's not the point here, Plagg. She's been trying for years now and I never noticed once! I feel really stupid," Adrien replies, plopping down onto his bed.

"_That's _what you're worried about? Looking like an idiot?" Plagg asks, stuffing camembert down his gullet. "Not any _'Oh no, I hurt her feelings!' _shit? Just feeling full of yourself? You're killing me here."

Adrien tosses a small pillow towards Plagg, who narrowly dodges it. Not like it would have hurt him anyway. "Of course I fucking feel bad. That's not what's bothering me."

"Then what?"

"She probably thought I've been ignoring her all along. That me calling her my friend was meant to taunt her. That… that I made her hurt for so long," Adrien says, and Plagg sighs, fluttering close and nuzzling against his cheek.

"That's better."

Adrien smiles, moving to scratch the top of Plagg's head, amused by his tiny purrs. "You're such a conceited little shit."

Ladybug hops from rooftop to rooftop, enjoying the bask of warm spring moonlight surrounding her. She can see Chat Noir in the distance, quickly approaching his form with each calculated jump. She skids to a stop just before him, hands on her hips. "Hey there, kitty."

"_Bonsior, _m'lady. What brings you here on this fine evening?" Chat replies, flashing a sly smirk her way. One of his canines pokes past his lip, and it's charming.

Ladybug rolls her eyes. "You know why I'm here," she retorts, bopping his nose. Her smile falls rather quickly, resting her body against the chimney. It's more apparent, under this lighting, that she's been crying - her nose is red and her eyes are puffy. She looks almost weakened and it's a strange sight, especially coming from Paris's superhero.

"You can talk to me about anything," Chat reminds. It's a constant, no matter their occasional fights.

"I confessed to him today. He didn't say anything," Ladybug mumbles and Chat embraces her into a hug, squeezing her tight.

"He doesn't deserve _you, _okay? You - you're worth all the diamonds on the earth. All the fine art in the biggest galleries is nothing in comparison to you. You are one of Paris's gods," Chat reminds her, letting her become comfortable in his arms.

Ladybug rests her head on his shoulder, frowning. "But nobody in Paris wants to love _me_."


End file.
